One of the greatest concerns parents have about taking a child fishing is unintentional contact with the hook. Young children want to cast the bait themselves. In their excitement to cast, however, they are often unaware of their surroundings. Coupled with still-developing motor skills, these factors can lead to accidents or a tangled line. Such problems can be made worse when trying to cast a fishing line rigged with a bobber in a fixed relation to a baited hook. Because of this, some parents cast for their children or elect to not take their child fishing, even though either situation prevents the child from learning how to cast.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,610,104 to Garcia discloses a fishing float with a rod in which a hook can be disposed during casting or retrieval. The rod has a flared skirt to guard the hook if it becomes lodged on the rim of the rod. But if the hook becomes lodged on the flared skirt, the hook tip will be exposed. U.S. Pat. No. 4,817,327 discloses a hook keeper fishing float with a cavity to protect a hook tip when storing the hook. But the cavity provides no protection to/from the hook tip during fishing use. U.S. Pat. No. 5,960,579 to Hampton discloses a funnel-shaped device and U.S. Patent Pub. No. 2007/0033857 discloses a bell-shaped device. In each, the hook can be completely contained within the funnel/bell-shaped device. But like the Garcia float, if the hook becomes lodged on the rim of the funnel/bell, the hook tip will be exposed. It would be desirable to have a casting system that would become deployed in use, yet shield the hook from accidental contact with bystanders or entanglement even if the hook tip is not enclosed.